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7 0. J. VAN DEPOELE. CONTACT DEVICE AND SWITGH FOR ELEGTRIG RAILWAYS.

No. 424-31 9,, Patenteg A pag 1.890.

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0. J. VAN DEPOELE. f q CONTACT DEVICE AND SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.No. 424,910.. PatentedApr. 1.1890.

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To all whom, it may concern:-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..-

' CHARLES. J, IVAN DEPOELE, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

'c'oN cro-EvicEANo SWITCH FO'R ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. VAN DE- POELE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inContact Devices and Switches for Electric-Railways, of which thefollowing is a description, reference beinghad to theaccompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. I

My invention relates to electric railways of the type in which thecurrent for the motor or motors upon the vehicles to be propelled issupplied from a conductor or conductors suspended above the line oftravel; and it relates more particularly to devices for establishing andmaintaining a traveling connection between the vehicle and itssupply-conductor, and for switching the said contact device from oneoverheadconductor to another at turn-outs or where branching roads orconductors extend from the main line.

In a prior application filed by me March 12, 1887, Serial No. 230,649,two diiferent styles of contact devices and switches therefor wereshown, and the present case is a division of said prior application. Inthe present instance, by the use of a particular form of contact deviceheld in contact with the under side of the suspended conductor by meanssimilar to those described with reference to the contact devices used inconnection with switch boxes or plates connected to the conductor, I amenabled to dispense with all such additional devices for switching thecontact from a main to a branch conductor, and vice versa. By simplyuniting the said main and branch conductors laterally the contact deviceis caused to automatically follow the desired path.

The construction, arrangement, and operation of my invention will befully hereinafter described, and referred to in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing an electricrailway-car and over-- head conductorarranged and equipped according tomy invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, showing theposition of the contact device and car in passinga turn out. Fig. 3 is aView similar to Fig. 2, but showing a SPECIFICATIOK forming part ofLetters Patent No. 424,910, dated April 1, 1890.

. Originalapplication filed March 12, 1887, Serial No. 230,649. Dividedand this application filed March 21, 1889. Serial No.

Y I 304,196. (No model.)

slightly-different arrangement of the conductors. Fig. 4 is a, detailplan view showing the contact devices and conductors seen in Fig. 2, onan enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of. the devices seen inFig. 4, and on same scale. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail plan views of theswitches seen in Fig. 3, on an enlarged scale. Fig. S-is a sideelevation of the devices illustrated in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a detail planview showing the contact devices in the act of passing crossingconductors.

As indicated in the drawings, A is a car or other vehicle which, asshown, moves upon rails B. The car A is provided with an electro-dynamicmotor 0, which may be of any desired form and located whereverpreferred, and connected with the carrying-wheels of the vehicle in anydesired manner. These details, however, form no part of the invention.

The rails B may be connected to form one side of a circuit-connectionbeing made from the negative post of the motor through the wheels tosaid track. WVhen this is the case, but a single main supply-conductorwill be required, which is indicated at D as being suspended twenty feetmore or less above the track.

Upon the top of the car A is securedapost or spindle E, which should beproperly insulated from the metallic roof of the car. Upon the post E isplaced a tubular stem F, which is bifurcated at its upper extremity andhas hinged to it at that point an arm G, the said arm being thereforehinged and pivotedupon the post E. The lower end of the arm G- isprovided with a tension spring or springs I-I connected to an adjustablecollar it upon the tubular shank F. The action of the spring H upon thelower end of the arm G is to press the outer end of said arm upward. Theouter extremity g of the arm G is bifurcated, and between thebifurcatedextremitiesis mounted a grooved star-wheel I. The wheel I is of goodconducting metal and may vary considerably in size, and it is providedwith a pcripheral groove 1', preferably made deeper than the thicknessof the conductor D, so that when the conductor D is in the grooved ofthe contact-wheel the edges thereof will project above the plane of theconductor.

IOO

The outer portion of the flanges J J of the eontact-wheel I are notchedor formed with openings j therein, so as to form project-ions or teeth Kupon each flange, the points of said teeth K projecting somewhat abovethe conductor. The wheel I is shown as having the teeth K arranged inalternation on opposite flanges; but the teeth may also be arrangedoppositely, as indicated in Figs. 6 to 9. In ordinary use upon straighttrack the teeth K will not affect the operation of the traveling contactin any way.

The post E and the support of the arm G is desirably located atabout thecenter of the top of the vehicle for the obvious purpose of enabling thecontact-arm and wheel to be reversed when it is desired that the vehicleshould move in the opposite direction. To facilitate the reversal of thecontact devices a rope L may be attached at or near the end 9 of thecontact-arm, by pulling upon which the outer end of the arm. G will belowered, when it can readily be pulled around into reverse position. andthen released to rise into engagement with the conductor.

At switches, turn-outs, or wherever the tracks of the roadway branch ordiverge, instead of providing switch-boxes, plates, or similar devicesto direct the contact-wheel from one conductor to another, I simplyunite the branch conduct-or D to the side of the main conductor D,leading it thence in the desired direction. Branching conductors of thisnature are indicated in Figs. 2 to 8. The necessary length of the arm Gcauses it to hold the contact device up against the under side of theconductor in a position in rear of the front wheels of the car and insome instances in rear of both sets of wheels, as here indicated. Ineither position the car will take or pass the switches in the track andeither remain on the straight track or follow the branch or turn-outbefore the contact-wheel I reaches the point where the branch conductoris attached to the main and will therefore have its direction determinedbefore reaching that point.

According to the direction of the contactwheel, it will, on meeting thepoint of union between the main and branch conductors, either lap theoutside of the branch and pass from the main to the branch, or itspoints extend in between the branch and the main and so pass withoutraising the conductors or be ing itself depressed to any material extentand without any danger of being detached from its operative position.

In Fig. 2 a car is indicated in dotted lines as advancing in thedirection of the straight track. The contact-wheel I is shown as justpassing thepoint of union between main and branch conductors and saidcontact-wheel passes without interruption or difficulty, for the reasonthat the branch conductor falls naturally into one of the notches 7' asthe wheel passes that point, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 shows an arrangcn'ient similar to Fig. 2, but with thisdifference, that the crotch or point of union between main and branchconductors is made wider or more open, forming a short bend D in thebranch conductor. This will not affect the passing of the contact-wheelfrom the main to the branch, as indicated in Fig. 7, and may under somecircumstances facilitate the passage thereof along the straight track atswitching points.

In Fig. '7 the contact-wheel is indicated as passing upon a branchtrack. In this instance the contact-wheel will leave the main and switchfrom one conductor to the other, the main conductor falling into one ofthe notches j as the direction of the vehicle changes, the point Kinserting itself in the crotch between the two conductors and therebypreventing lateral displacement.

As set forth in a prior application filed June 22, 1885, Serial No.160,4:10, switches, as here shown and described, can be used inconnection with a grooved contact-wheel, the wheel raising theconductors at the point of union, after passing which the directionthereof will be such that the contaet-wheel will be in position toreceive the desired eonductor. By the use of a notched or star wheel,however, the raising of the conductors, with the attendant dangers ofsparking or derailment of the contact device is practically done awaywith and the contact-wheel enabled to pass smoothly along the desiredpath.

In Fig 5) the notched wheel is seen in position to pass a crossingconductor D.

I do not limit myself to any particular form or size of c0ntact-whcel ornumber, depth, or disposition of the notches in the edges of the flangesthereof, since the same may be modified in many ways without departingfrom the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. In electric railways, the combination of a main conductor, a branchconductor united to and extending therefrom, and a self-switchingcontact device comprising a grooved wheel provided with notched edges,substantially as described.

2. In electric raihvays, the combination of a main conductor, a branchconductor united thereto, and a self-switching contact comprising agrooved wheel for engaging the conductor and provided with notchededges, the notches being adapted to enter between the main and branchconductors, substantially as described.

In an electric railway, a suspended conductor and a contact devicetherefor, comprising a contact-wheel formed with a groove therein toreceive the conductor, and having its edges formed with alternate pointsand depressions, the depressions being wider than the diameter of theconductor, substantially as described.

4. In an. electric railway, the combination,

with a pivoted arm, of a contact-wh eel formed with a deep groove toreceive a conductor and with notched edges, substantially as described.

5. In an electric railway, the combination of a suspended conductor, avehicle moving along the line of the conduct-or, branch tracks andconductors, the branch and main conductors being permanently united, anda contact device carried by the vehicle and pressed upwardly against theconductor or conductors and comprising a contact-wheel formed with adeep groove to receive the conductor and with notched edges,substantially as described.

6. In electric railways, the combination of permanentlyunited main andbranch suspended conductors, main and branch tracks below theconductors, a vehicle moving upon one or otherof said tracks andprovided with an upwardly extending contact device located in rear ofits front Wheels and comprising a contact-Wheel engaging the under sideof the conductor and formed with a groove to receive said conductor andwith notched edges, the notches being adapted to enter between the mainand branch conductors and to receive one or other of the conductors,substantially as described.

7. In electric railways, the combination of main and branch suspendedconductors, the branch being permanently unitedto and extendinglaterally from the main, a moving vehicle, and a traveling contactcarried by the vehicle and pressed upwardly against the under side ofthe main or branch conductor and comprising a contact-wheel formed witha groove to receive the conductor and with notched edges, the pointsbetween the notches being adapted to intersect the points of unionbetween the conductors and the notches to receive one or other of theconductors in passing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE.

Witnesses:

J. W. GIBBONEY, GUSTAV HELLEBUOK.

